New Yale tailgating lawsuits name fraternity members

A pair of new lawsuits have been filed in the 2011 Yale Bowl tailgating accident that killed a Massachusetts woman and injured two others.

The new cases name 86 current and former members of Sigma Phi Epsilon, the fraternity involved in the Nov. 19, 2011, incident. The lawsuits were filed last month in state Superior Court on behalf of the estate of Nancy Barry, who was killed, and Sarah Short, a Yale University student who was injured.

Attorney Joel Faxon, representing Short, said the suits are identical. He contended they were made necessary by the national fraternity’s claim that it is not liable for the actions of its local chapter.